Many Americans don’t know how to cook chicken, UC Davis study finds

Most Americans don’t follow even the most basic instructions to prevent illness when they cook chicken at home, a recent study finds.

The UC Davis study, funded by contributions from Foster Farms, finds that 65 percent of participants failed to wash their hands before they cooked chicken and another 40 undercooked their bird. Nearly half washed their raw chicken in the sink, another big no-no. The study’s author analyzed videos of 120 Americans preparing chicken dishes at home.

But Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer research at UC Davis and author of the study was most surprised by the “prevalence of undercooking.”

The study recommends using a calibrated thermometer to determine if the chicken is cooked to the FDA recommended 165 degrees Fahrenheit. More than half of the study’s participants, however, didn’t own a thermometer. It wasn’t much better for those who did: nearly 70 percent rarely used it.

Instead, these chefs relied on their eyes to determine if their chicken was ready to eat, a common technique that the USDA says is unreliable.

The chefs in the study thought they knew what they were doing; more than 80 percent reported confidence in their food safety knowledge.

“Even tips usually considered basic, like washing hands with soap and water before and after handling raw poultry, and never rinsing raw poultry in the sink, still need to be emphasized for a safer experience,” Bruhnadded in a press release sent by the university on Friday.

Failing to wash hands before and after handling raw chicken or undercooking it can lead to foodborne illnesses like salmonella. 40,000 cases of Salmonella are reported in the US every year, according to the CDC.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture, with UC Davis and other western food organizations plan to launch an educational campaign on proper food preparation.